Xavier Basketball Senior B.J. Raymond Selected For Portsmouth Invitational

Raymond Led The Musketeers To The 2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

B.J. Raymond won more games than any player in Xavier history.
 
B.J. Raymond won more games than any player in Xavier history.
  

April 3, 2009

CINCINNATI --- Xavier University senior B.J. Raymond is among 64 seniors who will participate in the 57th annual Portsmouth Invitational Apr. 8-11, a showcase for outstanding men's basketball players in their senior year of college. The tournament gets underway on Wednesday, April 8, and all games will be played at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va. Xavier sent three seniors to the 2008 P.I.T., including Stanley Burrell, Josh Duncan and Drew Lavender.

Raymond, who led Xavier in scoring this season at 14.1 ppg., is in Detroit today to play in the NABC All-Star Game for 20 of the top collegiate seniors.

The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (P.I.T.) is the nation's oldest amateur basketball tournament. It is recognized by NBA and European scouts as the premier showcase for future professional players. The P.I.T. is the only tournament for college seniors to participate in and be evaluated by the National Basketball Association prior to the NBA's pre-draft camp.  

The P.I.T. has always claimed to be "more than a basketball tournament." Each year the P.I.T. contributes back to the community by awarding scholarships to student athletes from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. In 2008 there were seven scholarships awarded, six for $3,000 each and one for $3,500 each. Another $10,000 was given to local non-profit organizations and charities to help them make a difference in the local community, creating a grand total of $31,500 given back the community. For more information, log on to www.portsmouthinvitational.com


 

 

Raymond earned numerous honors this past season, including 2008-09 First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference, USBWA (United States Basketball Writers Association) District 5 Team and NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) District 4 Second Team honors. Raymond joined the Xavier 1,000 Point Club during his 14-point game against Dayton on March 5 and ended his career in 34th place on XU's all-time scoring list with 1,104 career points.

 

Xavier recorded a 103-35 record (.746) during Raymond's career, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight his junior year (2008) and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 his senior year (2009). The 103 wins are the most by any XU player in his career as are his 136 games played. Raymond also holds the school records for most NCAA Tournament games played (10) and NCAA wins (6).

 
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